


A Flower and its Stem

by ariannadi



Series: Fire Emblem Hell [1]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Budding Love, F/M, Family, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Invisible Kingdom | Revelation Route, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-12-25 20:27:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12043653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariannadi/pseuds/ariannadi
Summary: Three times Leo supported Kamui in the way he knew best.





	A Flower and its Stem

Leo and his three siblings were only allowed to visit their distant sister on occasion, and such trips normally resulted in Kamui bolting out of the Northern Fortress the moment they arrived to greet them with massive hugs and a beaming smile.

Jakob was there to receive them instead on one particular visit, however; a feat which instantly set Camilla and Elise on edge.

Leo too, if he were being honest.

"Where's Big Sister?" Elise demanded of the butler the moment she jumped out of the carriage, and Jakob twisted his lip.

"Lady Kamui isn't in the lightest of spirits, I'm afraid," he explained, looking unnerved. "It would seem the canary Gunter gifted to her on her eleventh birthday passed this afternoon and she's quite upset about it."

"Oh, the poor dear," Camilla murmured sadly. "She was so fond of that sweet little thing. How could it only live for  _two_  years?"

"Don't worry, sister. Knowing Kamui I'm sure offering to train with her will cheer her up in an instant," Xander said reassuringly. 

"Or a big hug!" Elise chimed in, bouncing on her toes.

Leo remained silent, knowing this was likely Kamui's first run in with the concept of death. Despite his siblings' positivity, they probably wouldn't be able to shake her from her sadness and confusion, but he didnt have the heart to tell them.

His analysis turned out to be accurate, as later that night while passing through the bedroom wing he came across Camilla exiting Kamui's quarters with a troubled expression.

"Even braiding her hair into that style she loves didn't help," she sighed to herself, then looked directly at Leo. "Darling, perhaps you can do something? It kills me to see her like this."

"I'm not sure what you think I'll be able to accomplish," he griped, "But I can try."

"I know you doubt it but she loves you, Leo. Perhaps you're exactly who she needs right now," Camilla expressed.

Leo remained silent as he proceeded into Kamui's chambers, the greeting room seemingly empty. He noticed the doors to her bedroom were closed, an unusual sight considering she didn't like sealing herself even further away from everyone.

"Sister?" he called out, rapping softly on the wooden barrier. When she didn't respond, Leo took it upon himself to enter, and the sight of his sister solemnly observing the now-empty bird cage at the far end of the room left him disheartened.

She was always smiling, always giggling over the most ridiculous things. Seeing her like this was simply wrong.

"Sister," he uttered as he approached her, and the girl turned to glance at him for a brief moment before returning her eyes to the object in front of her. 

"Hi, Leo," she almost whispered, hanging her head. "Come to try your hand at cheering me up? Camilla made you, didn't she?"

He stiffened at that, feeling a twinge of guilt and hurt. Despite her words, he stepped forward, his eyes coming to rest on the intricate silver bars of the cage.

"I've been practicing with Brynhildr again. Father even smiled when I showed him how I've improved," Leo said, and Kamui's eyes flickered to the tome in his hands. "Would you like to see what I can do?"

"Leo, I don't-" Kamui began, but the prince just reached for her hand and tugged her toward the center of the room.

"Go ahead and sit, I just need a moment to prepare myself," Leo ordered, and Kamui tilted her head slightly before plopping down onto the floor.

He chanted the words that were starting to become like a second language to him, his hand clenching as he absorbed power from the depths of the tome nestled in his arm. Kamui's eyes went wide as he manipulated a mist of green and black between them, which eventually took the form of a small, thorny bush with white blossoms.

And, to his pleasure and relief, she smiled.

"Leo, it's beautiful," she murmured, her smile only growing as he knelt down and snipped one of the flowers from the plant, then offered it to her. She delicately took the preoffered rose into her hands, cupping it though it were the most precious thing she had ever laid eyes on.

Such a simple gesture was enough to change Leo's entire outlook on his older sister.

"Brynhildr isn't simply for battle," the boy told her softly, and she carefully looked up at him - her expression one of tenderness and awe.

"No, I suppose it isn't," she whispered in response, her ruby irises sparkling.

 

* * *

 

Years later, Leo and his _actual_ siblings became allies of the Hoshidan royals - Kamui's legitimate family and a group he never thought to be associated with. She led them against the invisible threat that sought to tear the neighboring kingdoms apart, appearing steadfast and fierce despite everything they encountered.

But Leo saw the tiredness behind her eyes, the silent doubt that crossed her features when she suspected no one was looking. He had never quite seen Kamui as a sibling, a part of him knowing she wasn't of his blood even before it had been revealed to him. Since then, the feelings of respect he had possessed for her had developed into something far more tender - and when the Nohrians had initially believed Kamui to betray them Leo dreaded the day he would be forced to bring her down.

Said day never came, by the grace of the gods, and instead the Nohrian outcasts took residence in the astral plane along with Hoshido's best - Kamui at the forefront of it all.

Just as he had when they were younger, Leo kept an eye on the young woman, noting how most evenings she would wander away from the mess hall before everyone else and seemingly disappear. At one point, she stopped coming altogether.

Brynhildr tucked under his arm, Leo sought her out on his own accord when she didn't turn up for supper for the third evening in a row, investigating all of her usual haunts and finding nothing.

"You lookin' for Kamui?" Kaden, who was curled up under a tree nearby, asked. "She's probably at the temple with Lilith. This is about the time she heads over to make an offering."

"I was just there," Leo countered, crossing his arms. How could the kitsune of all people possibly know her whereabouts?

Kaden just yawned, then shrugged. "Might check the spring, then? Or maybe she retired to her quarters already. Can't say for sure. Anywho-" His eyes suddenly shut as he curled back into a ball against the trunk of the tree, the conversation with Leo obviously over.

It was then that a distinct streak of silver flashed in his peripheral vision, and Leo turned just in time to catch the sight of Kamui rushing into the grove of sakura trees near the outskirts of the castle. Wasting no time, he hurried after her, thankful to be void of his armor for once.

Upon entering the rows of pink foliage, Leo found that Kamui had seemingly vanished among the grove. Only the faint sound of sniffling alerted him to her location, which ended up being just a few feet from where he stood.

Leo hesitantly approached the princess, who had her knees drawn up to her chest and was weeping softly into her open palms.

"Kamui?" he called to her, and the young woman startled in an instant.

"Leo," she breathed, scrubbing at her eyes as she swiftly rose to her feet. "W-what are you doing here?"

"Seeking you out, obviously. You've been disappearing frequently as of late," he answered, slowly stepping toward her. "Why are you crying?"

Kamui didn't respond at first, looking away from him instead. With a sigh, she finally replied, "Just... many things."

"Many things?" Leo repeated, and the girl nodded.

"Stress, primarily," she began, looking up toward the sky. "And the fact that we nearly lost three people in the last battle. If Xander hadn't stormed in when he did they would've..." she trailed off, her lip quivering.

"Kamui, we're in the middle of a war. Casualties cannot be helped sometimes, as harsh as it may sound." Leo said, resting a hand on her shoulder. It was hard to believe he practically towered over her now, when just three years ago she constantly teased him about how "short and cute" he was.

She sighed at the comment, resting her hand over his. The odd warmth of her skin quickly seeped into his fingers, rendering him a bit flustered at the contact.

"I know," she uttered, "But as our leader it falls to me to see everyone safe. Knowing I could fail those dearest to me with a single error... it eats away at my mind almost every day."

The prince understood such worries, as he himself had commanded his fair share of armies and had been the catalyst of their survival or demise, in the end.

"Such is why you must make the best of the situation, no matter the outcome," he told her sternly, before bringing Brynhildr forward. Kamui eyed it in confusion, but her eyes lit up the moment Leo drew power from the tome, producing a single red rose in the palm of his hand.

"Oh, Leo," she breathed with a smile, her eyes going misty with nostalgia. "I remember this."

"I thought you might," he murmured, then bent forward and carefully tucked the flower into her hair. "There," he said, holding her chin between his fingers and examining his work, "That's the Kamui I know."

Leo could've sworn her cheeks had turned the faintest shade of pink, but he passed it off as simply being the flurry of sakura petals swirling about them.

 

* * *

 

Forrest was everything they could've hoped for in a child. 

He was beautiful; sporting pale eyes, chubby, pink cheeks, and a tuft of pale hair on the crown of his little head. Their son hardly made a fuss with the exception of certain necessities, allowing his parents many nights of restful slumber despite what their friends had reiterated to them about parenthood.

But one night, the babe simply couldn't be consoled, no matter what his mother and father did.

"I hope he isn't coming down with something," Kamui said worriedly, her arms bouncing the months-old boy in an effort to soothe his hiccuping cries.

"Gods, let's hope not," Leo agreed, his brow furrowed as he studied the babe's disposition. Being a new parent certainly had its challenges, but this was unknown territory entirely.

"He isn't warm, so we can rule out a fever," Kamui analyzed, her fingers stroking their son's cheek. "Perhaps he had a nightmare? Mine have always been very vivid."

"Can they even _get_ nightmares at this age?" Leo asked, wincing when Forrest's cries went up an octave. His wife instantly cradled the infant closer, cooing at him softly and nuzzling her nose against his.

"Come on, Forrest, let Mama see your smile again," Kamui pleaded to the infant, the sight causing Leo's heart to ache.

That's when an idea came to him.

"Leo, where are you going?" Kamui asked as he stood from their bed and wandered over to the vanity across the room.

"I'm going to try something," he said, reaching out to pick up Brynhildr from where it lay. Walking back to the bed, he took up his previous spot, then opened the tome to a specific page.

He breathed the words of conjuration, drawing familiar magic up from the artifact and into his hand. Leo beamed at the expression Forrest wore, the now-silent baby completely enthralled by the yellow blooms his father manifested out of thin air. To both Leo and Kamui's delight, a gummy smile replaced the scowl on their son's cheeks, his crying at an end.

"As luck would have it, I possess the key to making you _both_ smile," Leo murmured to his wife with a smirk. Kamui grinned at the inquiry, moving to gently take one of the roses from him.

"You never fail to do so, my love," she breathed in sincerity, giggling when Forrest's pudgy hands curiously reached for the flower she held. "And we're so very grateful for that, aren't we, Forrest?"

 _Not as grateful as I am for you, my dear Kamui,_ Leo thought with a smile.

If a single blossom could bring peace and stability to the two beings he loved most in the world, surely Brynhildr could be put to use far more often.

**Author's Note:**

> Lol idek, I've fallen into this pit and I don't want out xD
> 
> (For the record Kamui is what I named my avatar, idk why they couldn't have just left that as the default name in the localization)
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated ^^


End file.
